State lawmakers say rising school superintendent pay must be addressed

Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, said failure shouldn’t be rewarded over success when it comes to superintendent pay

Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, said failure shouldn’t be rewarded over success when it comes to superintendent pay

Photo: Rich Pedroncelli / Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press

Photo: Rich Pedroncelli / Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press

Image
1of/3

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 3

Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, said failure shouldn’t be rewarded over success when it comes to superintendent pay

Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, said failure shouldn’t be rewarded over success when it comes to superintendent pay

Photo: Rich Pedroncelli / Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press

State lawmakers say rising school superintendent pay must be addressed

1 / 3

Back to Gallery

SACRAMENTO — State lawmakers said they were shocked to learn how much school superintendents in California are being paid and how auxiliary benefits such as district-financed home loans are becoming increasingly popular.

The bipartisan dismay follows an Oct. 26 story in The Chronicle that analyzed state and public records to show both small and large public school districts regularly awarded pay and perks that topped — and sometimes doubled — those of Gov. Jerry Brown, who earns $176,000 in salary and benefits.

Three superintendents from the Bay Area were among the highest-paid school employees in the state last year in large part because they were fired and received six-figure severance payouts. One was a former Union City superintendent whose total pay topped $600,000 in 2013.

“This is an issue that needs to be addressed because these escalating, uncapped payouts are leading us in the wrong direction,” said Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco. “Last year, the legislature invested many billions of additional dollars into education with the intent that they benefit the classroom as much as possible, not top administrators’ salaries and perks.”

Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, said: “We need our best and brightest working in education. These golden parachutes suggest that failure gets rewarded over success. That sends a terrible message to those working hard to teach our kids.”

In Palo Alto Unified School District, a newly hired superintendent was awarded what has become customary in the district — a no-interest home loan for up to $1 million. The loan was included in Glenn “Max” McGee’s four-year contract along with annual pay starting at $295,000 to work 224 days, a $9,000-a-year car allowance, and $6,000-a-year for life insurance premiums.

Palo Alto Unified, which serves 12,400 students, offered its past two superintendents no-interest home loans, one for $1 million and another for $500,000, the district said.

Centinela Valley Union High School District in Los Angeles County came under fire earlier this year over the $750,000 compensation package paid to its now former superintendent, who was also given a $910,000 home loan with a 2 percent interest rate.

“That’s an egregious abuse of taxpayer funds,” said Assemblyman Brian Jones, R-Santee (San Diego County). “This is taxpayer money that is supposed to go to teach kids not buy houses.”

Smaller districts, such as the 2,100 student Saratoga Union Elementary School District, are awarding their superintendents salaries on par with those who run some of the largest school districts in the state. Saratoga Union Superintendent Lane Weiss made $317,000 last year in salary and perks, which was similar to the $319,000 San Francisco Unified paid its superintendent Richard Carranza, whose district encompasses 58,000 students.

Outgoing Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, said school boards are setting superintendent pay too arbitrarily. Ammiano said a formula that considers a myriad of factors about a district, including cost of living, could help tamper rising pay and perks.

“The salary of a superintendent needs to be tied to some other standard so it doesn’t get out of proportion — as it is now,” said Ammiano, a former classroom teacher.

Last month, state Controller John Chiang added salary and benefit information for school employees to an online database of public worker pay, although nearly two-thirds of districts have failed to turn over information as requested. The controller’s database, available at publicpay.ca.gov, does not include names, but The Chronicle identified superintendents through additional online payroll databases, public records and interviews with school personnel.

Topping the controller’s database for school employees was former New Haven Unified Superintendent Kari McVeigh, who made $630,000 in wages, benefits and severance pay in 2013 after the Union City district fired her and paid out 18 months of her contract, which was to expire in three years.

McVeigh is suing the 12,600-student school district, alleging she was fired after she objected to race-based hiring decisions, according to a lawsuit filed in Alameda County Superior Court.

Former Brentwood Union Elementary District superintendent Merrill Grant made $349,000 in wages and benefits in 2013, despite being fired in February. Former Mount Diablo Unified Superintendent Steven Lawrence made $328,000 in salary and benefits last year after he was fired in April 2013.

Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, said the salaries of some school superintendents raised red flags for her. She said the rising pay is a clear example why voters should pay attention to school board races during Tuesday’s election.

“Communities need to be vigilant around these issues of compensation,” said Bonilla, a former high school teacher in Mt. Diablo Unified. “The first step is transparency.”